Over My Head
by Tattooed on My Mind
Summary: UNDER REVISION. Seasons pass and winter fever has hit several people. Koharu invites Ryo to Tosa for New Year's, and while there, Ryo gets closer to the center fielder in ways unexpected. Is this the right path? ShoujoAi
1. Chapter 1

_OMGWTF? AN NEW FIC? Yeah. It's been a while, huh? So, I got back to watching Princess Nine and decided a stab at a new fanfic since my more recent Princess Nine fanfic was kinda over the top and wayyy OOC. It was probably obvious how high (off life:D) I was writing that. But I'm starting something new so everything will be okay._

_First off, I would like to say that I'm a complete novice at shoujo-ai. Criticism would be okay for that part as well as for the fact that I haven't written or updated a fanfic in well over two years. Yikes. Yeah. So if this is good, fabulous. If this turns out as good as most of my other fics, well…it's been a while. Lol. So yeah. On with it._

**Disclaimer: **Don't waste time with lawsuits. I don't own Princess Nine or any of the characters.

_--_

**Over My Head**

**Chapter 1 - Winter Fever**

"Hey, Tofu! Wait up!"

Ryo Hayakawa stopped in her tracks as her boyfriend, Hiroki Takasugi, rode up to her by bike, stopping next to her. "Takasugi, what have I told you over and over again about calling me that?" she asked him with a slight hint of annoyance in her voice. No doubt, she was happy to be in a relationship with him, but that nickname had always driven her crazy.

Hiroki laughed. "Yeah, I know." He pulled her into a hug, causing her to blush. "C'mon, you know it's out of love, right, Tofu?"

Ryo sighed. "Takasugi, you are so lucky I love you." She freed herself from his embrace and continued on as he rode beside her.

"So, why are you here so early anyway?" Hiroki asked her. "It's almost winter, so that means there are no practices until spring, remember?"

"Yeah, I know," Ryo replied, "but we usually hang out before and after school anyway. I guess we've gotten so used to seeing each other everyday like that during practice that we would feel awkward if we did otherwise."

"I see." There was a pause for a while as they got to the gate of Kisaragi. "Hey, Tofu, do you want me to give you a ride to the field?" Hiroki asked, breaking the silence.

Ryo shook her head. "I'll be fine walking, Takasugi. But thanks anyway." She smiled, hoping he wouldn't give her a ride anyway. She really felt more like walking to the field.

Despite how much he would rather pull her onto the bike and give her a ride anyway, Hiroki smiled and said "Alright. I'll let ya go just this once." He bent over, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before speeding off on his bike. "Love ya, Tofu!" he yelled to her in the distance.

Ryo blushed, but she had gotten used to being his girlfriend so it was okay. With that, she continued walking to the field. It was a beautiful December day; blue sky, sun shining, and barely a cloud in sight. It wasn't hot like it always was in the summer, but it wasn't cold enough to have to wear tights or anything to warm her legs. It was practically perfect.

She reached the locker room, joining the rest of the team. Izumi was on the couch, reading a book; Kanako, Mao, and Yuki were all at a table; Nene was passing out breakfast to everyone; and Seira, Hikaru, and Yoko were sitting down as well.

"Oh, good morning, Ryo!" Nene greeted. "Would you like some breakfast? There's plenty left!" she added, gesturing to the servings of food on the counter.

"Oh, that's okay, Nene. I already had breakfast this morning." Ryo replied. She walked over to the couch, taking a seat next to Izumi.

"So, how's your relationship with Hiroki?" Izumi asked out of nowhere.

"Oh, it's going fine, nothing new has happened," Ryo replied, grabbing a cup of tea from the table next to her.

Izumi smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. You know, I might have liked him for a long time, but, I must admit, you two do make a rather cute couple."

Ryo blushed. "Oh, Izumi, don't tease me like that!"

"Well, at least you two aren't having the case of 'Winter Fever' that's been going around," Hikaru told Ryo in a rather irritated and upset tone.

"'Winter Fever'?"

"I think it's kind of like 'Spring Fever', only in the winter," Kanako explained. "Like, in 'Spring Fever', a lot of couples form and a lot of couples break up in or near the spring. Well, 'Winter Fever' is basically the same except in or near the winter."

"That's right. And sadly, I happened to have gotten it," Hikaru said angrily yet sadly. "Apparently, Seishiro isn't sure if he's really ready for a relationship yet, despite the fact that we've been together most of the summer and fall," she sighed, "Love can be such a letdown sometimes."

Ryo was pretty shocked that Seishiro broke up with Hikaru, but she thought _'Well…things happen…' _"So, I take it you're not spending New Year's with him, right Hikaru?" she asked.

"Nah, I wasn't even sure if I really was going to spend it with him anyway," Hikaru replied. "I think I'm just gonna go home for New Year's."

"That's what I was planning on doing," Mao commented. "It just makes a little more sense to spend time during then with family."

Seira snickered. "Well, that most likely won't be happening to me. Yoko's planning on dragging me to Okinawa to visit her parents for New Year's." she commented.

"I'm not _dragging_ you to my house!" Yoko yelled, slightly offended. "I just simply invited you and you said you'd think about it!"

"It all depends on my mood then, Yoko. Don't have such a stick up your ass," Seira shot back. Luckily, Yoko managed to keep calm for once so they didn't get into a real fight.

"Nene's family invited me and my family over at their house for New Year's so that's where I'm going," Kanako spoke, Nene nodding as well.

"Is Hiroki spending New Year's with you, Ryo?" Mao asked the green eyed pitcher.

"Oh, I'm not sure. I think he mentioned he'd spend it with his family," Ryo replied. "I really don't know what I'm doing for New Year's."

"Well, since we're all going somewhere different for New Year's, how about we spend Christmas together, all ten of us?" Izumi recommended.

"Oh, that's a wonderful idea, Izumi!" Nene screamed in her high-pitched voice. "We should spend it here! We could get a tree, give presents, and everything!"

"Yeah, Izumi, that's a really good idea," Hikaru agreed. "I'm kinda surprised you thought it up."

Izumi shrugged. "Why not? We're a team, right? We should spend at least one winter holiday together."

While everyone conversed over Christmas, Ryo realized that something wasn't right. She looked around the room, counting people until she found a problem. Counting herself, there were only nine girls in the room.

"Hey," she started as the room fell quiet, "where's Koharu?"

The other team members looked around the room as well. Like Ryo, they did not see Koharu.

"I dunno. Where is Koharu?" spoke Nene.

"I didn't see her walk in with us, and the door was locked when Seira, Yoko, and I got here," Hikaru commented. "Maybe she overslept?"

"Or maybe she's skipping our daily get-together before school. Geez, why would she have such a problem with it? We've been doing it since practice ended," Seira added, somewhat annoyed.

"Now, I don't think that's the reason," Izumi noted. She looked at the time, practically ten minutes until class. "Look, class will start in around ten minutes or so. Koharu is in my English class in second period so if I see her, I'll make note of it."

Everyone nodded. Most of them had Koharu in at least one of their classes so they planned on asking her why she didn't show up before school.

"Well, as Izumi said, class is about to start," Kanako said, getting up and grabbing her bag. "How about we get going?"

Everyone else nodded again, got up, grabbed their stuff, left the locker room, and headed to class. While walking, Ryo only hoped Koharu would make it to class on time. It was not like her to not hang out with them before school. But maybe she just wanted a break from hanging out like that? Ryo was unsure. However, she just kept walking, hoping she would see her black haired friend in at least one of her classes.

-

Classes passed, and as Ryo had hoped not, Koharu was not present in any of the classes they had together. _'Maybe Koharu could be sick?' _Ryo thought to herself. Thinking more about it made her a little bit concerned, but she decided to just talk about it with the rest of the team.

She got to the field where everyone was standing in front of the locker room and not in it.

"So, Ryo," Mao started, "Koharu's in your first period class, right? Was she there?"

Ryo shook her head. "She wasn't in chemistry either. Not to mention, she wasn't in History or our Music class either." The brunette sighed. "I'm kinda worried she might be sick."

"Well, as you said, she wasn't in Music, and she wasn't in English either," Izumi added.

"You're right, Ryo, She wasn't in History," Hikaru spoke, Yuki nodding in the background.

"She wasn't in Pre-Calc either," Seira continued. "So obviously, she didn't show up at all today."

A tired sounding "Yeah" escaped everyone's mouth. It seemed the rest of them were as worried as Ryo was.

Breaking the silence, Ryo announced, "I'm gonna go visit her. Just to see if she's okay."

"Go ahead," Hikaru told her. "I think the rest of us are gonna go somewhere for dinner or something. Right, guys?" Most of them nodded.

"You all go ahead," Izumi spoke. "I have other important things to attend to." She turned to Ryo. "Hey, tell Koharu to get better for me, okay?" Ryo nodded, and with that, the blue haired girl took off.

Ryo looked at her watch. "Well, I'm gonna head to the dorms. Koharu's probably up by now so I'll pay her that visit now," she told the others.

"Okay, Ryo. Tell Koharu we hope she gets better too!" Nene exclaimed. The rest nodded, and Hikaru stepped up.

"In case you don't know where her dorm is, it's on the fourth floor like the rest of ours, and from the stairs, it's straight down the hallway, last one on your left."

Ryo made a note of it. "Thanks Hikaru. I'll let her know everything." Waving goodbye, she started to make her way to the Kisaragi girls' dorm.

She had only been there once before to hang out with Hikaru, Mao, and Yoko while Koharu was in Tosa, after the incident with her father during their last game. She wasn't completely sure where it was from the field, but she was sure to find it.

Eventually, she came across the big building, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. She walked in, making her way up the stairs to the fourth floor. She took a moment to remember the directions from there. _'From the stairs, straight down the hallway…'_ She followed her thoughts to the end of the hallway, reading the names on the doors to make sure she was really going the correct way. _'Last one on my left…'_ Once she reached the destination, she examined the door.

"_Koharu Hotta"_

Ryo knocked on the door lightly, afraid to awaken her teammate in case she was asleep. When there was no response, she knocked a little harder. Still no response. She pushed herself up against the door and spoke. "Koharu? Are you in there? It's Ryo. I just wanted to check up on you since you weren't in class today." Still no response. _'Maybe she's not there?'_ the brunette thought. She sighed and stayed there, waiting for a response.

"C'mon, Dad! Why not!"

Ryo's attention shifted to the voice she heard down the second hallway that faced Koharu's door. The voice was immediately recognized by the strong Tosa accent. Right in Ryo's direction stood Koharu Hotta, talking on the dormitory phone. The small, raven-haired girl was clad in a green tank top and a pair of blue drawstring-tie shorts. There was a towel hung over her shoulder so Ryo assumed she just got out of the shower a few minutes ago.

"Well, I dunno what they're doing for the holidays so what else should I do?" she continued her conversation with her father in Tosa.

"_It's only the ninth of December, Koharu,"_ her father replied to her. _"You have plenty of time to find out what the girls are doing. Besides, you should spend more time with them"_

"Um, Dad, I see them everyday. I spend enough time with them on normal days," Koharu retorted. "I haven't seen y'all since the summer. Why can't I at least spend New Year's with my family?"

"_If you want to so badly, then bring them along."_

"Dad, you know I couldn't afford it! And our house can't fit all 9 of them!"

"_Then only bring one or two."_

Koharu paused. _'There is one person I would like to bring…but she'll say no. She's too dedicated to her family so she won't wanna come along with me…or will she?' _

"_Koharu, you still there?"_

Koharu snapped out of her thoughts and returned to the phone. "Okay, I'll get back to you on that one. Listen, Dad, I gotta go. I'll call you back tomorrow or later." The father and daughter exchanged their love before Koharu hung up the phone. Deciding to think about it more the next day, she turned in the direction of her dorm and walked toward it, noticing Ryo standing at her door.

"Ryo! Hey, what's up?" she asked, shocked and confused about why the brunette was there.

"Oh, I was just wondering if you were okay, that's all," Ryo replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was in the shower so if you got there before…"

"No, I just got here."

Koharu pulled out the key to her dorm. "Well, do you wanna come in anyway?" she asked, unlocking the door.

Ryo nodded, following the shorter girl into the room. "So, Koharu, why weren't you in school today?"

Throwing herself onto the single bed, Koharu replied, "Wasn't feelin' too good when I got up, mild fever, light head, the works." She gestured to Ryo to close the door and then take a seat somewhere. Ryo did, sitting down at the foot of the bed.

"So, you had a different kind of 'Winter Fever', didn't you?" Ryo joked, remembering the term used earlier that morning.

Koharu remained silent for a bit. "…'Winter Fever'?"

"Oh, it's kinda like 'Spring Fever' only in the win-"

"Yeah, I know what it is."

"Yeah. I was just trying to make a joke. Sorry!" Ryo got up off the bed. "Well, I just wanted to check up on you. Nene and the rest of the team hope you get better. It seems like you're recovered, somewhat."

Koharu nodded. "Tell them I said thanks anyway."

Ryo smiled. "Well, I have a lot of homework to work on so I should go." She began walking toward the door before Koharu stopped her.

"Ryo, wait."

Ryo turned around, waiting for whatever she was going to be asked.

"Are you doing anything for New Year's?"

"Well," Ryo began, "I haven't really thought about it yet. I'm not totally sure what I'm going to do."

"I see." Koharu looked down. "Because…" She could feel a soft, warm blush creep across her cheeks as she tried to form the words to continue. "There's a New Year's festival back in my hometown. I refuse to miss it, but my dad wants me to be with my friends more. He agreed to let me go if I bring someone so if you're not doing anything…"

Ryo remained quiet. Not only was Koharu's shyness odd, but the fact that she was being invited was unexpected. Ryo smiled again. "I can check with my mom. If she'll let me go, I would absolutely love to go."

Koharu looked up at the green eyed girl. "Yeah, just let me know if you can come, alright?"

"Will do!"

Koharu smiled back. "Well, if you have to head home so quickly, I don't wanna be stoppin' ya. I'll talk to ya tomorrow, Ryo."

"Alright. See ya, Koharu!" And with that, Ryo left the room, closing the door behind her, leaving the raven haired girl alone.

Koharu leaned back onto her bed, stretched out. She laid her hand on her forehead and sighed. "'Winter Fever', huh?" she thought aloud. "Think I might have it too…" With that, she allowed her amber eyes to close, Ryo's image remaining in her mind.

_--_

_I will admit, this chapter was a bitch to start. Hopefully it's not as bad as my last P9 fic. Something tells me I accidentally made Izumi a little too nice. (And I like her a lot more when she's badass) Ehh I probably need help with this.. ;_

_As mentioned before, this is my first real fanfic in a long time (I say real because I did write a small Lord of the Flies/JackSimon fic a while back out of boredom, with no real plan for it) so constructive criticism is wanted and if I did bomb somewhere, please let me know. _

_However, I would rather you refrain from dissing the couple of choice. If you're not a fan of the couple, great, but I don't want to read/see/hear couple bashing. If you know me, I'm not a Ryo/Izumi fan at all, not to mention I'm not a Seishiro/Hikaru fan at all either (dislike them more than the former). I believe I'm entitled to my own couple choices as you are so please keep the couple bashing to yourselves. Kthanks._


	2. Chapter 2

As usual, it haaaas to take me around over a month to update fanfic. --; Well, anyway, I finally finished Chapter 2. It took me too long. I had every other chapter written in my head except this chapter. But I was re-motivated to continue, and in a day, I finished this chapter. Rather short, but we all can deal, right?

**Disclaimer: **Don't waste your time with lawsuits. I don't own Princess Nine.

--

**Over My Head  
****Chapter 2– Decorating Problems **

Koharu looked up at the large object with shock and almost fear. She was absolutely baffled and surprised that something so huge could fit in the locker room. Still dazed, she heard Nene ask her if there was anything wrong, somewhat concern in her high voice. Koharu, expression remaining the same, could only point and ask:

"What in the hell is _that_?"

She pointed at a huge pine tree, standing a good two or two and a half feet taller than her, in the back of the locker room. It was just recently put on a stand, it seemed. Yoko and Kanako were on ladders on either side of the tree, applying ornaments on it.

"Why, what do you think it is?" Yoko responded. "It's going to be a Christmas tree." She continued to drape the tree with lights.

"Didn't we tell you, Koharu?" Kanako joined the conversation. "We're having a Christmas party right here."

Koharu's expression didn't change much. "Still… that tree is…really tall…"

Hikaru laughed behind the center fielder. "That's how tall they usually are. You're just short." She told her, ruffling her black hair.

Koharu pouted, fixing her hair. "Sorry for not being as tall as you all," she muttered, sarcastically.

"It's alright, Koharu," Seira commented, her hand on the ladder Yoko was on. "It's really not your fault that you're five foot, one." She snickered.

"I'm five foot, one and a half, Seira!" Koharu shouted to the redhead, still pouting. Her cheeks tinted a pale shade of pink while the rest of the team giggled.

"What exactly is all this commotion for?" Izumi walked in asking, with Yuki, Ryo and Hiroki following her. The blue haired girl took a look at the tall tree as Kanako, Yoko, and now Mao continued to work on it. "How are you not done yet? Christmas is only a few days away," She continued, her voice dripping with disappointment.

"Well, we got this tree only yesterday, Princess," Seira retaliated. "It's a lot of work, so give us some slack, okay?"

"Well, maybe if more people than just Mao, Kanako, and Yoko work on it, maybe it will get done faster," Koharu commented, receiving a "Thank you" from Izumi.

"Tch. You have no room to talk, Miss 'I'm-afraid-of-the-big-tall-tree!" Seira continued to Koharu. "I haven't seen you do anything."

Koharu ignored the name-calling and replied, "We already had the height conversation, Seira. I can barely reach anything."

"Um, Hello! We have this!" Seira yelled, shaking the ladder that had Yoko on it, ignoring the blonde's protests and screams.

Ryo moved in between Seira and Koharu. "Okay, you two. We can all decorate without fighting, can't we?"

After a period of silence, Koharu spoke. "Ryo's right. We don't need to argue about things right now."

Hikaru gave the shorter girl a questioned look. "Since when did you become a 'yes-girl'?"

"Well, with that settled," Hiroki started, walking up beside Ryo, "how about we all work together to decorate this place?" he suggested, linking his arm with his girlfriend's, causing some girls to have the "where did he come from?" look upon their faces.

The team agreed and set out to finish decorating, with the exception of Yoko who was confused about anything and everything until Seira began to shake the ladder again, telling the blonde to work.

As they continued decorating, Koharu couldn't keep her eyes off of Ryo and Hiroki. She couldn't get over their smiles and the way they held ands. In some ways, Koharu was jealous. She had very little problems with Hiroki Takasugi as an individual, if any. However, when he was with Ryo that was a different story. Of the entire team, including Nene, Ryo seemed the closest to her. They were almost like sisters in an odd sense, and Koharu liked that feeling. But when Ryo started dating Hiroki, there was a distance put between the two girls, and Koharu hated it. However, she couldn't tell Ryo that, in fear of hurting her.

Ryo occasionally looked over at her teammate. No one else seemed to notice, but Ryo could tell that something was wrong under the tough girls exterior that Koharu put up. The brunette was worried, but didn't say anything in fear of seeming to force her friend to say something that could be really embarrassing or secretive.

After the room looked completely decorated, they all headed home, extremely happy about winter break starting that day and excited for Christmas. Shortly following a goodbye hug and kiss from Hiroki, Ryo ran after the team's shortest member and asked to talk.

"What's up, Ryo?" Koharu asked as they walked to the girls' dormitory. "Somethin' wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing to do with me," Ryo replied. "Actually, I was wondering if you were okay. You seemed out of it."

Another blush crept across the shorter girl's cheeks as she shook her head. "I guess I'm just a little dazed today. I've been rather exhausted all week. But thanks for the concern."

Ryo smiled. "Well, as long as you're okay…" Forgetting what else to say, Ryo bid her goodbyes and turned around. By the time Koharu was nearly halfway to the dormitory, Ryo remembered.

"Hey! Koharu!"

Hearing her, Koharu turned around. "What is it?"

"I'm not doing anything special for New Year's," Ryo explained. "So my mom said it was okay for me to join you and your family in Tosa."

Koharu smiled. "Okay. I'll let my dad know." With that, they resent their goodbyes and headed in the opposite direction. She was almost unsure why, but Koharu hadn't been happier in a while. However, how long it would last was probably a different story.

--

_As I said, this one is shorter. And ewww I don't like how I ended this chapter. ; Oh well. I'm thinking Christmas will be either Chapter 3 or Chapter 4. If it's chapter 4, I will not know what to do for Chapter 3. But I dunno. Depends on my mood since I'll be writing a Princess Princess fic soon too at the same time as this._

_Most of this is still being written in my head. Hopefully I can get a lot of this on paper._


	3. Chapter 3

_Well, first off, happy New Year everyone! 2006 wasn't a bad year, but let's hope 2007 is better. Secondly, I'm terribly sorry for the lack of updates. I haven't exactly been in the biggest of Princess Nine moods. But reading some fanfics (shameless plug! Go read The New Girl in Town by orange manga smoothie! It's a great break from the P9 shoujoai.) kinda got me back in the mood. So I'm trying to write this again._

_Since Ryo/Koharu has skyrocketed to second favorite on my P9 couples list, I kinda decided against making this chapter an Izumi/Yuki-centric chapter. So I'm kinda winging this chapter. It's probably gonna suck, and I'm really sorry about that. Christmas will be a lot better. :D_

_&&&I know she's a fictional character but today (January 3) is Koharu Hotta's birthday! (kinda hence why this chapter is about her birthday) So happy birthday, Koharu!! (If you don't know who my favorite girl is by now…you haven't really been paying attention…)_

**Disclaimer:** Don't waste your time with lawsuits. I don't own Princess Nine.

--

**Over My Head  
Chapter 3 – Gift Ideas**

One of those many problems with Christmas shopping is not having it done. Ryo was finding this out the hard way. Before, she only got presents for the people closest to her, who were only a handful of people including her mother, Seishiro, Matsu, Tatsu, and Shige. Now that she had nine other friends, plus a boyfriend to give gifts to, she was going overtime in terms of shopping. Lucky for her, Ryo was smart enough to keep it simple this year, buying her friends small trinkets that resembled their friendship.

It was late afternoon on Christmas Eve. Ryo had just finished up buying what she needed for Christmas, and was feeling pretty good about everything. She walked down the streets, smiling and happily awaiting Christmas the next day when her, the rest of the team, Hiroki, and Seishiro would spend it together in the locker room. She was excited, as were most of the others. After all, it would be the last time they would be together as a group.

However, Ryo wasn't done buying gifts. Sure, she had everyone's Christmas present, but there was one more item that needed to be purchased. Koharu's birthday was coming up in early January, and since Ryo was planning on spending New Year's with her, it seemed only necessary for her to get a present for the center fielder.

Of course, the problem was that Ryo did not know what to get her.

She figured it was only right for Koharu to get another present. After all, her birthday and Christmas _were_ on separate days. But Ryo had problems coming up with gift ideas for Christmas, so coming up with ideas for the other girl's birthday was not any easier. Unfortunately, Ryo was also running short on cash, so whatever she was getting wasn't going to be too expensive.

Finding a bench nearby, she sat down, feeling the cold wind blow against her cheeks. She sighed, still thinking about an idea for a gift. However, in all honesty, Koharu had been on Ryo's mind for quite some time. Ever since she asked her to go to Tosa, Koharu had been a little shyer than usual. Why that was the case was uncertain, but the whole idea was weighing heavily on Ryo's mind. The shorter girl wasn't too outgoing like Hikaru, but she had never been shy. Whatever the reason, Ryo couldn't help but be curious about it since they were such close of friends.

"Hayakawa?"

Green eyes met blue as Ryo turned to Seishiro, who stood behind her, also with a handful of shopping bags. "Hey, Seishiro. What're you doing here?"

"If it wasn't too obvious, I'm just finishing up Christmas shopping," Seishiro told her, gesturing to the bags. "I need to stop being so behind on shopping during the holidays." He laughed, somewhat embarrassed.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Ryo consoled him. "I _just now_ finished buying Christmas presents. But I can join you if you want some company," she let him know, getting up off the bench and walking toward him.

Seishiro accepted her offer, and they continued to walk the streets. "So, Hayakawa," he started, "how're you and Takasugi doing?"

Ryo rolled her eyes a bit. "Why does _everyone _have to ask about us? I mean, really." She sighed, somewhat annoyed. She didn't dislike being with Hiroki, but people constantly asking about them was rather irritating. "But we're fine. No fights, no problems. I'd say life is pretty good with us." Looking up at him, she had to ask, "By the way, why exactly did you and Hikaru break up again?"

Seishiro shook his head. "I dunno. Somehow, I didn't think we were really right for each other. Not to mention, she was a little on the 'too controlling' side. But don't tell her I said that."

Giggling, Ryo replied, "Don't worry. I won't say anything to her."

They stopped by a small jewelry store, deciding to go in after a few seconds of pondering and window shopping. Seishiro wasn't planning on getting anything there. He wouldn't know who to give what to. However, Ryo still needed a gift for Koharu and this was her last option.

"Hey, Seishiro?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think would look best on Koharu?" She asked, gesturing to the display of necklaces and bracelets.

Seishiro was puzzled. "I didn't know Miss Hotta was into jewelry."

"She's not, really," Ryo commented, "but her birthday's in January, and this is the last place I can think of to buy her a present from."

Seishiro stopped to think about it for a bit. If he was good at anything, it was either listening or giving good advice. However, he wasn't the expert in jewelry so he made a guess. "Maybe something with her birthstone would work," he offered.

Ryo considered it. Even though she assumed the center fielder's favorite color was green, the birthstone idea was safer.

Seishiro tapped her on the shoulder. "Um…Hayakawa, I think I might move on. I'm not sure what I'd get here for anyone."

"Oh, okay then. I'll see you tomorrow, Seishiro." Ryo gave him a quick hug before going back to finding anything with garnet in it. Unsatisfied with the selection, she walked over to an employee and asked.

"Actually, Miss," the employee started, "we do have something. But you'd have to come over here." She signaled Ryo over to another display which had a pair of necklaces, their pendants joined together forming a heart. "At least half of it has a garnet in it. Hopefully, whoever you're getting this for doesn't mind the other half having a diamond in it, but it's the nicest and least expensive thing here with garnet."

"Oh no, that's perfect!" Ryo exclaimed, remembering her own birthstone was a diamond. "I'll take it."

The employee smiled. "Would you like to have anything engraved into it? Like your initials or anything? I mean, this _is_ for you and your lover, right?"

Ryo's face turned red. Hiroki's birthday wasn't even in January. However, she had been thinking of Koharu a lot recently, so she kept Hiroki out of the conversation.

"Just engrave an 'R' on the diamond side and a 'K' on the garnet side, please."

A few minutes passed, and Ryo had finished paying for the newly necklaces. Thanking the people at the store, she headed home, unable to erase Koharu's name or image from her mind. Half of her was excited to spend more time with the Tosa native. However, the other half of her was confused on how she really felt. Of course, there was no way Koharu could replace Hiroki in Ryo's mind. But there was definitely something that brought them closer. Problem was, Ryo couldn't figure out what.

--

_Again, I'm extremely sorry for the past two chapters. I'm really hoping Christmas is better. Don't worry though, because it's the next chapter. :D_

_&&&I've learned I really don't like writing same sex couples. Too many "he"s or "she"s in a sentence. Het is so much easier to write for me…_

_&since I need such a break from same sex couples, the next P9 fic I write will be predominately het. However, the main couple will be something that more than likely no one had thought of before. And that's probably spoiled on my profile. But whatever._

_Christmas is next. More of Koharu there too! (I'm not a big Ryo fan so I'm not really that fond of this chapter since it was mostly Ryo.)_


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